An exceptional silver and full pictorial enamel singing bird box, by Karl Griesbaum,

Model 7

German

circa 1930

Beautiful and unique - how chic

When wound and the start/stop pull actuated, the bird lid opens whilst the bird rises quickly through the finely tooled and pierced gilt grille, moving polished gilt beak, wings, tailfeather and moving body from side-to-side through full 180-degrees to continuous birdsong.

The bird with sparrow-grey, lime green, grass green and lagoon blue feathered plumage, twist of bright purple to the tailfeather, reflected in full to highly polished silver gilt lid interior, gilt grille with chased leaf and scroll detail, the case in typical No. 7 glorious enamel coverage to incorporate full pictorial scene to the lid with bird lid having central view of a coach and horses crossing the bridge which connects the castle and battlement pitch roof dwellings to the right, with the close up detail of a Gothic alter window to the left, with a formal ecclesiastically dressed woman with spaniel looking over to a seated elderly man with caught rabbit, caged birds and a cockerel, all superbly executed in the highest band of quality for this special model, the corners with the capital heads, fluted detail in black, white and turquoise, edge band in electric blue with the trademark flying bee frieze repeated to all sides, the front with oval painted study of a windmill, verso with the other windmill looking back with the first in the distance with sailing ships and trees alongside the river, framed by white enamel, intermediate ground with engine turned maroon, the sides with similar finish and with simplistic oval quatrefoil centres, underside with tooled framing decoration, the whole silver case tooled throughout complimenting the enamels beautifully.

4in. wide, 2.1/2in. deep, 1.5/8in. high - (10.2 x 6.4 x 4cm)

Point of interest -

It's quite astonishing how many variants of the Model 7 have been noted and seen - mostly in museums. Not one the same as another. This flying bees seen repeated in the blue band are to be seen on others currently with us, but even these vary in size and distance between each insect.

The great touch with Griesbaum is that all their singing bird boxes are unique. Pure personal magic still very much alive today.